PALM BAY – Standing near midfield after his team’s 14-9 win over host Heritage, Seminole coach Karl Calhoun had a few things on his mind.
One of them: the standing water and mud that covered the field – some of which had filled his shoes.
“It was horrible conditions, but that’s football,” Calhoun said. “You have to come out with a plan and deal with it.”
That plan, he admitted, shifted before kickoff.
“A lot of our guys were slipping, so we wanted to run the ball and control the game,” he said.
After a lengthy weather delay, the sloppy field conditions and several costly penalties nearly cost Seminole. But a last-minute defensive stand helped the Seminoles hold on for the 14-9 win Aug. 29.
“Defense played their butts off the entire game,” Calhoun said.
That effort was most evident in the final 90 seconds. After giving up a safety when a snap sailed over the punter’s head and into the end zone, Heritage drove into scoring range. That’s when the Seminoles’ defense rose up, stopping the Panthers on four straight plays, capped by a quarterback sack.
“I’m proud of those guys,” Calhoun said. “Overall, I’m happy we came away with a win.”
Still, there were plenty of mistakes. Seminole committed three personal fouls on the same series, pushing the team deep into its own territory, and false starts piled up throughout the night.
“We need to clean up the dumb stuff, clean up the small stuff – the false starts, the penalties, the inconsistencies – stuff we can control ourselves,” Calhoun said.
Seminole built a 14-0 lead before Heritage scored to close the gap. Neither team threatened again until the late safety and the Panthers’ final drive.
